Building a new business paradigm

Grupo Haina is more than one of the country’s most committed business conglomerates. Its socially-responsible trajectory proofs that companies can be both profitable and in tune with the realities of their environment.

There are several reasons why Grupo Haina is one a of kind. The first, undeniably, is their success. It is integrated by some of the most profitable and reliable companies in their fields: United Petroleum, a 100% Dominican brand and the largest fuel transporter in the country; Caribbean Turf, representatives of more than 17 global leading machinery and automotive brands; and more recently Despegar, the leading Latin American travel company, which they have introduced to the Dominican market thanks to this company’s acquisition of the two wholesale and inbound operators managed by Grupo Haina for the past 5 years, Best Day and Grey Line.

Thus, nowadays Grupo Haina’s transportation and distribution operations move all along the country and across different sectors, such as fuel, tourism, agriculture and automotive, with electric, recreational and work vehicles. This privileged position is partly explained by the company’s work ethic, which emphasizes providing a good service and having a collaborative and trusting environment, as well as the principles of discipline and perseverance that characterize

Grupo Haina’s success is also explained by their focus on security. For instance, United Petroleum, which has a fleet of more than 40 tanker and rigid trucks that meet the high- est international safety standards, recently reached a record of 5 million kilometers traveled –equivalent to 11,336 trips– without any incident. This exceptional performance has also contributed to attracting foreign partners, which is why they are currently the authorized distributors in Latin America and the Caribbean of Gulf Oil and other important brands in the automotive sector. “The most important thing is to know everything about the operation and to trust and delegate, to integrate the team and make decisions together, no matter if I am the president”, assures Mr. Díaz Infante.

Furthermore, what distinguishes Grupo Haina above other businesses is the emphasis they place on promoting policies and activities that generate real social and environmental value. On the one hand, they have started replacing all their fleet from fuel to natural gas to reduce emissions, and have worked together with Santo Domingo’s mayor office on road safety issues through a donation of more than 120 accident recovery machines to firefighters in the east and north of the city.

Moreover, in his additional role as president of Save the Children for the Dominican Republic over the last 4 years, Mr. Díaz Infante knows better than anyone the key role private companies can play in creating solutions to critical issues affecting children.

Therefore, they have created programs on children’s education, health, and the prevention of sexual slavery and child labor. For example, besides investing in sports and reading programs in schools, they are currently developing a program to avoid work-related child exploitation.

As Mr. Díaz Infante explains, “we are creating a seal with the Ministry of Labor so that companies voluntarily certify themselves as child labor free. This had never been thought of in the Dominican Republic and we, as Save the Children, have been pushing for this with the help of the private sector.”

Whether it is by creating an egalitarian work environment, promoting a culture of safety, becoming more environmentally sustainable in its operations or investing on life-changing social programs, Grupo Haina has demonstrated that beyond generating economic benefits, companies can increase their value by contributing structurally, from their own business model, to solving the major challenges facing their communities.

«We are creating a seal with the Ministry of Labor so that companies voluntarily certify themselves as child labor free. This had never been thought of in the Dominican Republic»

JUAN TOMAS DÍAZ INFANTE